Of Accents and Mechanics
by inkwolf222
Summary: When Kara suddenly displays a new and in-depth knowledge on motorcycles, the gang gets suspicious and shenanigans ensue. Sequel to "Of Food and Romance"


Kara arrived at Lena's penthouse as she had done hundreds of times before, both during their friendship and their newfound romance, the only difference now was that she let herself in. She and Lena had exchanged keys a week ago, and even though they had only been dating for about a month and a half, they felt secure enough in their relationship to take that step.

As the shiny new key jingled in the door, Kara called out to her raven-haired beauty.

"Lena-bug! I'm here for dinner!"

She waited for an answer as she closed the front door but was only met with silence. Frowning a bit, she walked further into the apartment looking for her girlfriend. She knew Lena was home, William had informed her that Lena was awaiting her arrival as she walked past the front desk with Chinese take-out in hand. Not finding her in any of the usual places, like the lounge or library, she grabbed a potsticker and walked even deeper into the massive penthouse, nibbling thoughtfully on the treat. Strolling past Lena's workroom, Kara heard faint music and the tinkering of tools. She smiled softly to herself. Lena often got lost in her own world when working on personal projects and didn't notice the passing of time. It was one of the traits Kara loved the most. She could sit and watch her work for all eternity and be content. To her, there were few things more beautiful than a happy Lena concentrating on something with the tip of her tongue poking out, doing what she loved most: creating.

She quietly pushed open the door mid chew and was met with the shock of her life.

_6 months later_

Kara arrived at the DEO in search of Alex or Maggie. She wanted to find out if they had finally picked a restaurant for their double-date tomorrow night but neither was answering their phones. She looked in the command centre, Alex's lab, the infirmary and the kitchen before asking another agent for their whereabouts.

As she arrived in the garage she was surprised to find J'onn, Winn, James, Maggie and Alex all standing around the Latina's bike looking a mix of puzzled and frustrated.

"Hey guys." She called out. "What's going on?"

The group turned around and all gave her a smile and murmured greeting before Maggie answered her question.

"Something's wrong with my bike and we can't figure it out." Kara looked at the group in confusion.

"Why are J'onn and Winn here then? No offence," she said apologetically. "But you two don't really know anything about motorcycles."

Winn shrugged. "I'm here for moral support." Kara nodded and looked over at the Martian.

"Supervision." At her confused stare he pointed to a large dent and crack in the wall. "To make sure Detective Sawyer here doesn't damage anymore DEO property or equipment."

"Hey!" she shouted in false annoyance. "That wrench had it coming." Everybody laughed at her antics, even J'onn cracked a smile.

As the laughter died down, Kara stepped forward to take a look. "What seems to be the problem?"

Maggie looked to Alex who looked just as confused as the rest of the group. She shrugged, _Kara might just be curious, or know a good mechanic._

"I'm not completely sure, to be honest. I sent her in for a service four days ago and everything was running smoothly until this morning when she back-fired. When I finally got her started the engine made funny noises and it feels like she lost all engine power. I drove straight here and we've been trying to fix her ever since but I can't find anything wrong."

Kara nodded along as she listened but her gaze was solely focused on the bike.

"When was the last time you charged the battery?"

The Superfriends all were terribly confused. Kara had never shown interest in anything remotely related to mechanics, cars or bikes. Remembering the whole fiasco concerning Kara and Lena's relationship and how clueless and oblivious they all had felt afterwards, Maggie decided to follow her gut on this one.

"It's brand new, had it installed with the service the other day. It works fine too, it was the first thing I tested." She watched Kara make another loop around the bike before taking off her sweater and glasses, leaving her in jeans and a black tank top. She gathered a couple of wrenches, screwdrivers, Allen keys and an ohmmeter with an ease and familiarity that shouldn't really be there. She gestured towards the bike.

"May I?"

Before anybody could protest, Maggie gave her the go ahead. They all watched in amazement as Kara worked with focus and precision. In short order she had removed the fuel tank and bike seat, turned off the engine ignition switch and disconnected the battery grounding wire.

"Uhhhh, Kara?" Winn sounded unsure. "What are you doing?"

"I'm removing the plug cap so that it doesn't influence the readings I'm about to take." She said as if that statement made absolute sense. Locating the CDI points, she grabbed the ohmmeter and started fiddling with the ground, primary and secondary wires, not looking at all pleased with the readings the little device gave her. She nodded to herself once then looked up at the group.

"Here's your problem." She held up the digital display so Maggie could see. "The readings aren't within normal parameters for this make and model. In fact, they're way out."

"Meaning?" this time it was James.

"Meaning that Maggie needs a new ignition coil. Luckily they keep a few here," she reached into a drawer and pulled out the item in question. "See?" she held it up.

Even faster than before, it almost looked like super speed, Kara replaced the wire, ran her tests and put everything back together again. She wiped her hands on Alex's abandoned grease towel as she stood up.

"There you go." She smiled at the brunette. "Good as new. She shouldn't be giving you anymore problems. Now why don't you go take a spin around the garage and see if everything's running smoothly?"

Maggie nodded her thanks and got on. With a hint of trepidation she started the bike, but instead of the loud crack or funny noises, she roared to life with a beautiful purr. Megawatt smile in place, Maggie drove three laps before slowing to a stop in front of her friends. Switching off the engine, Maggie climbed off and promptly gave Kara a huge bear-hug. Kara giggled and returned the hug with vigour.

"Little Danvers, you are amazing." She said as she pulled back. "Where did you learn all of that? I never knew you were interested in motorcycles."

Kara shrugged, smile still in place. She felt that some teasing was in order for their lack of faith. _One would think that they'd stop underestimating me at some point, _she thought.

"I have a friend who's a racer and they taught me everything I know. They are a genius when it comes to bikes. Good racer too, one of the best actually, or so I heard."

"A racer, huh?" Alex spoke for the first time. As Kara nodded she looked over at her girlfriend.

"Didn't you used to race?" Maggie liked where this was going. She and Alex both took part in races just two weeks ago, both coming first as usual. Street racing, even for bikes, was super competitive and those at the top didn't like to be told there was someone better. Though Alex would readily admit Maggie was the better rider of the two. She turned back to Kara.

"Would your friend be interested? Seeing as you've kept them a secret this long, we'd like to meet them."

"I'll ask, though I don't think you'll want to race them." Kara smirked to herself, _Just wait until they hear who my 'friend' is! _She was certain Lena would find the whole situation hilarious once she told her tonight. Maggie scoffed.

"Saturday, 11pm, the Munroe pass. Don't be late." Kara nodded her assent, turning around and walking away. She was nearly at the elevator when James called out.

"Kara, wait!" she turned around to face the group. "What's your friend's name?"

Now Kara outright smirked at them.

"Ghost."

She laughed at their hanging jaws all the way home.

XXX

Maggie always thought of herself as a confident, self-assured woman. She would readily admit it if she had made a mistake and take responsibility for her actions. She acknowledged when she was wrong and asked forgiveness when she was at fault. Overall she was a patient and easy-going person but one thing she never did was back down from a challenge. Her competitive streak was a mile wide and admitting defeat wasn't in her nature.

But she had to admit, tonight she was scared. She wouldn't let it show, or admit it to anyone besides Alex, but she was beyond nervous for the upcoming race tonight. When she had challenged Kara's friend to a race, she thought the blonde had been exaggerating over their skill and knowledge, most racers were prone to overstating their accomplishments. She scoffed at the jab that she might want to take back the challenge, basically throwing the gauntlet at this mystery person's feet. She felt pretty confident in her abilities to show this person who's the boss.

That was, until she heard their street handle.

_Ghost_

Ghost was a legend among street racers, a rider that showed up out of the blue one night and has dominated the races since. They showed up whenever they wanted, they never talked, never took off their helmet and when the race was over, disappeared without a trace. That's how they earned their name, that plus the fact that nobody knows who they are. Hell, nobody even knows their gender!

Their only distinguishable feature was their custom built black and green superbike.

Maggie was suitably terrified. Very few were brave enough to challenge Ghost once they reached the top of the roster and nobody had ever beaten them. But Maggie never backed down from a challenge, especially one she had so publically initiated. Her only question was how in the hell did Kara know Ghost? If they taught her like she said, that meant that Kara has seen Ghost without the helmet. She knows what they look like, who they are and no matter how hard she and the other Superfriends had tried, she hadn't given an inch on the identity. They had done everything from buying her favourite candy bars, to offering to buy her food for a month and, in one desperate attempt, even convinced J'onn to stand in for Supergirl for an entire week so that Kara and Lena could go on that romantic getaway they keep talking about.

Maggie still doesn't know how Alex got J'onn to agree to that, but even so, it was all a futile attempt. Clearly Kara was more adept at keeping secrets than even Alex realised. They really should stop underestimating the reporter.

She shook herself out of the reverie just as Alex parked the car. Munroe Pass was perfect for street racing. It wasn't all that high up, was well illuminated, quiet, straight and level. At least for the next half a mile, which is usually all the road you need. She and Alex got out of the car, unbuckled all the straps on the trailer and rolled the bike off. While Maggie started getting the bike ready for racing, Alex measured out the quarter mile distance and placed markers at the start and finish.

As she measured the distance, Alex couldn't stop marvelling at all her sister's hidden talents and friends. She's always known Kara was smart. Hell! She did 12th grade science and math at the age of 6 or 7! But clearly her sister was more adept at certain things than Alex realised. Sometimes it was easy to forget Kara was a genius who's had to play average most of her life. Somebody who could probably teach Winn how to build and crack firewalls instead of asking him how to do a software update on her computer.

She was broken out of her reverie as Vasquez and J'onn were surprisingly the first to arrive. Neither Alex nor Maggie thought that the director of the DEO would want to involve himself in what is technically a criminal activity. Next to arrive were James, Winn, Lucy and Lyra. Alex was very excited to see Lucy, it had been a while since any of them last saw the fiery lawyer. Doing mostly undercover work these days, her schedule was very unpredictable. She hadn't been present for the whole Coming Out Saga™ with Kara and Lena, but when she called a couple of days later and they told her, she just said: "Well duh, obviously they're together. They've been dating for months!"

At 22:59 everybody started getting impatient, wondering where Kara and her friend was, and Maggie got worried that she might have been stood up. Even if it was a private race, the disrespect and knowledge that she hadn't been deemed worthy would gnaw at her gut, she knew. Just as everybody thought the race wouldn't be happening, a loud engine rumbling could be heard from around the bend and at 11pm on the dot, a green and black custom speedster pulled up to the starting line. One of its two passengers got off, and when the helmet was removed, it revealed flowing blonde curls and sparkling blue eyes.

"Sorry we're late guys," she motioned to the other black, leather clad figure on the bike. "We had to get through the roadblocks at the baseball stadium. Apparently there was a surprise Midnight Match to celebrate the team's anniversary." She shrugged. Maggie turned to the other racer, heart already pumping with adrenaline for the upcoming race.

"You need to refuel or make any adjustments?" a slight shake of the head was all the answer she got. "Okay, cool. If you guys want to walk to the finish line, we'll start getting ready and do our thing. Who is going to start us off?"

"Don't worry about that," Alex spoke up, pointing to a black cone in the middle of the road, "I rigged it with a lighting system. It'll work like a reverse traffic light, as soon as it shines green, you go."

Maggie walked over to Alex and gave her a sweet kiss. The group of onlookers started making their way towards the finish line to watch the race but Kara lagged behind. When Maggie got back on her bike, Kara was talking to Ghost in hushed whispers, pointing at various parts of the bike before double-checking the gloves and helmet. Maggie could've sworn that there was something about their interaction that seemed familiar, but as far as she knew, Kara didn't know anybody Irish. And there was a definite Irish brogue flowing from the helmet. She pushed the thought away and started focusing on her pre-race ritual.

Alex's voice came through a speaker in the rigged cone. "If you're ready please make your way to your mark." The two racers both move to take their positions, engines revving, hearts racing and blood pumping. They watched the cone as the red light came on and the excitement settled in. It felt like an eternity for the light to turn green and then it flashed. They were off.

Time stretched infinitely in those first seconds as it was wont to do. All they could feel was the wind biting at any exposed skin and the rumbling roar of the engine. This was the best part for Maggie. Almost nothing could make her feel this alive.

They were neck-and-neck for the first hundred yards or so before the Latina turned to look for the other racer. She found Ghost riding directly to her left and looking right at her. Maggie swore she could _feel_ them smirking at her through the tinted visor. All she got was a nod before Ghost decided they had played around long enough, and with the loudest roar from any engine she's ever heard, Ghost pulled away leaving Maggie choking on exhaust fumes.

Crossing the finish line in second place Maggie turned around and made her way back towards the group with Ghost. They were all a bit surprised when the other racer kicked down the bike stand and switched off the engine instead of pulling their usual disappearing act. Maggie did the same and took off her helmet, immediately being tackled in a bear hug by her girlfriend.

"You did great, Baby." Alex whispered into her ear and all Maggie could do was smile into auburn tresses. They both knew she had a minimal chance of winning but as long as Alex was proud of her, Maggie felt like she had won first place.

They turned around when a muffled but loud "Oof!" sounded behind them. They found Kara spinning the newly dismounted Ghost around in the air, huge smile plastered on her face. They all just smiled indulgently at the blonde. Kara sure was a hugger.

"So, Kara, are you going to introduce us to your friend?" Lucy asked to get the poor racer a reprieve. She had been hugged just as hard only a few minutes ago.

"There's no need for an introduction," Ghost's distinctly feminine Irish accent bleeds through the helmet. "You all know me already."

"WHAT?!" everybody, with the exception of J'onn and Lucy, chorus loudly.

"Yeah," she chuckles softly. "You know me quite well actually."

"I think I would distinctly remember if one of my friends had an Irish accent." James argues.

"Oh really?" there's that damn smirk again, Maggie could hear it in her voice. James just nods confidently.

"Well, if you're that sure of yourself," she started unbuckling the chin strap. "Let's find out, shall we?"

They waited with baited breath, with the continued exception of J'onn and Lucy. Being the director of the DEO had many perks, including privileged information on a certain Kryptonian's paramour. Though in Lucy's opinion, Kara's smug smile should have been all the answer the rest needed.

_They really should start paying more attention, _she thought.

Needless to say, the only reason Lucy didn't open her mouth before was to see the flabbergasted expressions on their faces when the helmet finally revealed raven hair, blood red lips and a pair of amused emerald eyes.

XXX

'Stunned' or 'stupid' wouldn't be strong enough words to describe how the Superfriends felt when they found none other than Lena Luthor herself standing before them. On one hand it didn't make any sense at all. On the other it made complete sense. Questions of 'how', 'when' and 'why' all flitted through their minds, but the first to break the silence was Vasquez.

"What's up with the Irish accent?"

Lena instantly started blushing, though her smirk remained firmly in place. Kara gave her a little kiss on the cheek and it softened into a small smile. She looked at her beautiful and wonderfully supportive girlfriend before taking a deep breath and turning back to their friends. She felt Kara's hand snake around her waist, giving her a soft squeeze and the extra bit of confidence she needed.

"As you know, Lionel Luthor is my biological father. My mother however was one of the servants in the mansion. A young Irish girl alone for the first time in her life. She immigrated here with the money her parents left her after they passed and she tried to make a better life for herself. She and Lionel started an affair. Lillian knew, of course, but she didn't care as long as Lionel was careful and discreet. When my mother became pregnant though Lillian tried to save face. She sent her home with a big cheque and the understanding that nobody was to know of my true parentage. When she died, her lawyer contacted the Luthors and informed them of the situation. They 'adopted' me at the age of 4." Lena trailed off. She might not remember a lot about her birth mother but she does remember lullabies, love and forehead kisses after being tucked in at night. Her death still hurt in many ways.

Lena pulled herself together with a quick shake of her head. "Anyway, Lillian didn't like my native accent, so for the first few months I worked with a dialect coach daily to learn an American accent. Privately I kept my Irish accent as a way to piss Lillian off." Everybody burst out laughing.

"I guess the best way to rebel against someone like her is to do it silently so she can't yell at you about it." Winn giggled. Lena just chuckled and nodded in the affirmative.

"Indeed."

Kara gave her a sweet kiss, knowing it wasn't easy for Lena to open up like that.

"At least now the shamrock green makes sense." Maggie pointed to Lena's bike, and with that a ton of other questions followed. Everything from how she built her engine to teaching Vasquez how to curse in Celtic. Finally Alex couldn't keep her curiosity at bay.

"When did you start teaching Kara about motorcycles?"

The couple just grinned at each other and shared a secret smile.

_6 months earlier_

Kara quietly pushed open the door mid chew and was met with the shock of her life.

One half of the gigantic room was filled with all sorts of tools hanging on the walls, tables strewn with bits and pieces of wiring, half built projects, schematics and blue prints. A large service elevator was located on the far wall with larger machines scattered throughout the floor. That, however, was not what caught Kara's attention.

She found herself looking at eight motorcycles, ranging from Harleys to Ducatis, and one black and green superbike that looks like it was custom built. A vast array of racing and design trophies and awards lined shelves on the wall above the bikes along with a picture of Lena building the green-black speedster, the hand drawn design and another picture of Lena in full riding gear, straddling the bike and holding a first place trophy aloft. Scanning over the custom beauty again, Kara spotted Lena underneath the bike, wrench in hand.

"Sweetheart?" she called out after swallowing the last bite, surprised she hadn't choked. A bang, clatter and couple of curse words later, Lena rolled out from underneath the bike. A soft smile spread across her face as she saw Kara standing in the doorway of her safe haven. Having the blonde in here, a room which nobody else has ever seen, not even her housekeeper, just felt so natural. She got up and moved closer to the blonde.

"Hello, Darling." They shared a sweet kiss and a smile. Kara broke the contact to move closer to the bikes, fascinated with the powerful machines. Alex had gotten her motorcycle during her rebellious phase in college but had never taken Kara for a ride. That didn't stop Kara from checking it out whenever she got the chance. The beauty in the design and engineering plus the purr of the engine had always been the flame to Kara's moth.

"I didn't know you owned or could ride a bike." She said, awed. Every single one of Lena's motorcycles were obviously well-loved and cared for. Each one a powerful machine.

Lena blushed at the reverent look and tone. "Yeah, I've loved them all my life. Ever since I helped Lex build a motorcycle engine for one of his science fair projects. It was our first bonding experience." She said shyly, her native Irish accent bleeding through.

Kara loved when that happened. In her opinion Lena should ditch the American accent altogether and just be her true self. Unfortunately, some of Lillian's marks went deeper than others.

Kara walked over and took both of Lena's greasy hands in her own and gave her a bright smile.

"I absolutely love them!" she enthused. Lena's head shot up and a wide grin spread across her face.

"Really?" she breathed.

Kara couldn't nod fast enough, looking a bit like a blurred bobble-head. Lena chuckled at her girlfriend's adorable antics.

"Teach me." Lena blinked.

"What?" Kara nearly laughed at Lena's confusion.

"Teach me about motorcycles." The smile Lena gave her at that could've put her own Sunny Danvers grin to shame.

"Are you sure?" Lena was beyond excited. Never before had she found someone who shared her passion for riding nor did they want to learn. Of course Kara would be her exception once again, if the eagerness in her eyes was anything to go by.

"Absolutely! I want to know everything, including the stories behind all those." She motioned towards the trophies before looking back at Lena. "Teach me." She implored, dinner completely forgotten.

Lena was all too happy to comply.


End file.
